Saturday, February 16, 2013

Because of Low (Sea Breeze #2) by Abbi Glines

Goodreads Summary:It’s steamy in the Gulf town of Sea Breeze. Physical attraction is the only way to beat the heat in this start to a series from bestselling, previously self-published author Abbi Glines.Playboy Cage owns the apartment, and he hosts a revolving door of people, in and out, at all times. Most of them are long-legged hot girls who are never there more than a night or two. When Cage’s new roommate, Marcus, enters the picture, he’s just looking to nurse a broken heart. But there’s one particular semi-frequent regular who catches his eye.Willow—“Low”—is the one Cage wants to marry. But the two of them are night and day, and Marcus can’t see how Low puts up with all of Cage’s womanizing. What she really needs is a real man....like good-looking and sensible Marcus. But that’s going to get real complicated and real messy—real fast.

My Thoughts:I have to admit that I enjoyed, because of Low immensely! The main reason being that I fell head over heels for Marcus Hardy in Breathe. Marcus Hardy is everything a girl could want in a guy. He is sweet, gentle, protective, caring, loyal, and absolutely gorgeous. At the beginning of the story, Marcus has to leave college and head back to Sea Breeze, Alabama to pick up the pieces that his father destroyed. His sister and his mother needed him, and Marcus would protect them and take care of them with every fiber of his being. That's just the type of person that he is! He ends up sharing an apartment with Cage who is on the same college baseball team as Marcus' best friend Preston. While living with Cage he meets "Low" short for Willow. Low lives out of her suitcase, and jumps back and forth between living with her selfish sister and her best friend Cage. Everyone Low has ever had in her life has left her. The only person she has ever been able to count on is Cage. Cage pledges to all his friends that Low is the one for him, and he plans on marrying her. He is very protective of her and Low doesn't mind because she's never fallen for anyone, until Marcus Hardy that is. Marcus has been nursing a broken heart since the one girl he was madly in love with was in love with someone else. After he meets Low, that all changes. He thinks she is beautiful, innocent, and girls like her are rare.The characters felt very real in, Because of Low. I could see them, hear their voices, and grew to love them. Marcus was strong, and your modern day prince charming. If their was a recipe for the perfect guy, the outcome would be Marcus. Low could be my best friend. I loved her that much. She was authentic, down to earth, caring, compassionate, innocent, and all I wanted to do was protect her. She was the perfect counterpart to Marcus and balanced him out. She helped to dissolve Marcus' sadness and bitterness, and brought happiness and love into his life. Even though Cage was a secondary character, I really enjoyed reading about him. He was a very realistic and authentic character. He was damaged and emotionally scarred from a traumatic childhood. That didn't excuse his wild behavior, but it made me understand it. He wasn't right for Low, but I couldn't help but feel for him knowing how much he loved her, and that she was the only person in his life that he could ever counted on. He drank too much, went from woman to woman, and then would leave them the morning after. He never settled down, nor did he want to. He was a contradiction in the fact that he didn't change his ways, yet he fantasized about marrying Low someday. Low (Willow) realizes that she is not the one for Cage. He was too damaged to change for her, and she felt nothing but friendship for him. Marcus however, was another story. Low was completely enthralled, and attracted to him. He gave her butterflies, and made her feel like no man had ever been able to make her feel. The more that Marcus and Low get to know one another, the more deeply and madly they fell in love. Another aspect of the story I loved, were the plot twists. This book was exciting and devastating all at the same time. My emotions went on a wild ride as I felt for Marcus and Low and all that they had to overcome. The story didn't have any dull moments. In fact it was fast paced, light, and enjoyable reading. Abbi's writing is spectacular. She doesn't get caught up in detail, and yet she gives just enough for you to get to know the characters, visualize and grasp who the characters really are. I lost track of time while I was reading, Because of Low. Five hours of reading felt like one, and as I came to the last page of the story, I thought, "Is this it ?" I did not feel this way because the story felt unfinished, but because I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend Because of Low to readers who enjoy the New Adult Genre, a beautiful love story, and a really well written story that will captivate you...